The Kings Game

A cheer erupted thorough the crowd furthering my confusion as to what the game was. The game wasn't explained so it must be akin to common knowledge here. I looked hesitantly over towards the others, Anabelle had a grin on her face, and that immediately made me feel uncomfortable.

" So, what is this 'Kings game'?" I asked Viola since she was the closest to me, and also currently the furthest from Anabelle.

" You don't know?" She seemed rather surprised. "Hmm, Well it is a team game that requires you to pick one person to be the king or queen. They are the 'ruler' for the duration of the game and you basically have to protect them. The ruler will have a 'crest' that they have to protect, which is typically like a rock or something. If you lose your crest and the time runs out you lose. The one with the most crests, including their own, wins. Even if your crest is stolen you can still win so long as you get it back. It's a pretty popular game amongst kids. I've never heard of a person who hasn't played it before. I have ours actually." Viola then showed me a spinel like gem with the image of two lions fighting carved into the front.

" That sounds fun." I replied, I wonder who our queen should be. I then felt the aura of a haughty pride behind me. Turning I am met with the view of Anabelle pretending to look like a dignified person.

" Hell, no." I immediately remarked. Despite her being an actual princess I refused to acknowledge her as a queen in any form, even if it was only a game. She glared at me again and Korona got between the two of us.

" Calm down you two, We have to get along to win. Together we probably wont have to worry about much, Alice won first in her competition, Anabelle was completely undefeated before her loss to her brother, and Viola is good with earth magic. We should be fine so long as we don't destroy ourselves." Anabelle seemed to flinch at the mention of her loss to her brother. I couldn't argue with her logic, so I just tried my best to drop it.

" So, how are we going to play this? Aggressively, or defensively?" I asked

" What do you mean?" Viola asked

" Well, We can play aggressively, where we try to get as many crests as possible, or we can play defensively, ensuring that our crest isn't taken. The good thing about being aggressive is that we can get more of other peoples crests, and grantee getting first, the down side is that we run the risk of losing our crest, and having to retrieve it. Defensively and we can ensure that our crest is safe, but in the event that no one tries to steal ours, we may lose because we don't have enough crests. We don't know how the scoring will work, but at least sixteen of us will pass." I explained

" I thought you never played before!?" Viola seemed shocked.

"Just because I haven't played it doesn't mean I'm incapable of understanding a game as simple as capture the flag. It's just got a few more factors." I said

"What's Capture the Flag?" Asked Korona

"Pretty much what were about to do."

" Well I think that I should be the Queen. I obviously am far more qualified in lording over you peons. Besides I am the strongest here, obviously I should be ruler." Anabelle said with absolutely no shame at all.

" Vetoed." I immediately shot back.

"No one asked you, besides who else should lead? You? Not going to happen." Anabelle growled once I refused her.

" Why don't we let Korona be the queen. She's strong enough to protect the crest even if she gets isolated." Viola tried to calm the both of us down

" Don't want to." Korona refused the position. " Viola why don't you do it?"

" M-me!?" She seemed unsure. " I don't know your all a lot stronger than I am. I'm most likely to lose it."

" That's exactly why it should be you. The smartest thing to do is to give your stone to the strongest person on the team so they can keep it safe. We all are pretty notorious already, no one would guess that you would have it. Do you two object?" Korona looked in Anabelle and my direction.

" As long as it isn't her it I'm fine." Anabelle's voice held the utmost hostility towards me.

" Sure, I'm ok with that." I agreed.

" Did, Alice and Anabelle just agree with each other?" Viola seemed astonished, you could tell from her face and the way her hands twitched that she was anticipating us to start arguing. She was even prepared in the event we started yelling at each other. Anabelle just scoffed, while I laughed a little.

" I know. It's a miracle." Korona added in.

Anabelle interrupted their jokes" Lets just start making an actual plan." she seemed annoyed at the two.

" What all do we need to plan?" Viola asked

" Who are we going to attack? Is there anyone we should try and ally ourselves with? What is our response to losing our crest? Are we going to travel in one or multiple groups? We need to know how we are going to play the game." Anabelle stated

" You are really invested in this aren't you?" I asked surprised at the depth in which she was thinking about this game.

" I just want to make sure that I can kill you in the individual matches. It will be so much more satisfying." Her face contorted into that of a maniacal demon.

" Well ... anyways." Korona interrupted Anabelle's thoughts, her face fading back to normal." Anabelle has a point, and in order for us to make the best plan we need to know what were up against, the good thing is we have information on a little under half of the competition, already. So first lets pool what we know about our opponents. I'll start first. The most dangerous ones we will have to keep an eye on is Jack. Alice has experienced this first hand, but he can give his chains automatous commands to attack a target. It can be annoying to fight against and once he catches you, good luck getting out. Then there is Kon, she is a completely different issue, she hits like a monster and she is fast. Direct confrontation with her is ill advised, however considering the people on this team that is less of a problem, since your all monsters too. After them there is Aron, he specializes in earth and fire magic. He can be a nuisance, since his attacks are like mine, however his frontal assaults are manageable, and sneak attacks are always signaled by a sudden increase in temperature. Finally we come to Hopper. Hopper uses life magic, he is more of a healer but he can create plants to fight, as well as fortify. I would suggest to try and avoid any sieges on him if he gets too set up." Korona ended her part and looked around for someone else to continue.

" I guess I'll go next" I droned " The first I should probably note is Emmy. She is a bit shy but is terrifying in a fight. She has the ability to create weapons purely out of mana, and can be a real pain to fight against because she can fight at almost any range. She is good with most forms of weapons but she isn't an expert. What she lacks in individual prowess she more than makes up in versatility. Then there is Lyric, who so long as you don't go near him you'll be fine, however he makes that incredibly difficult. He is skilled in close combat and ice magic, and is an expert at dodging at a range, so good luck with that. Then there is Tanya, she is similar to Lyric in a sense, but she lacks the ice magic, and the range difference doesn't play as big a role against her. Also she will hit you from everywhere at once. How? well, it really doesn't matter, because your screwed once you stop moving for even a second. Finally there is Eric, again, don't get close to him. He is balanced in both offense and defense. He uses light magic to heal himself and his team mates as well as mitigates his slight lack of speed turning it into a bit of a strength. He is a tough one, bit not the hardest of opponents, just out hit his healing and your fine."

" That sounds infuriating." Korona said

" But sneak attacks should work right? They all sound strong, but if we knock them down fast enough they won't be able to prepare. They can't keep everything up at all times, they will run out of mana." Viola said

" So, sneak attacks then? Not my style but I suppose if it means I can crush Alice in the finals I will have to wait." Anabelle grumbled.

" You might not want to do that." I added

" Why not? It seems like a great plan." Korona said.

"Just trust me alright, they aren't going to fall for it." I said

The others seemed dubious but still agreed not that their words were a perfect assurance, I just didn't want them trying something stupid. Tanya, Lyric, Emmy and gram are all typically the target of my stealth shenanigans so, they are pretty good at detecting sneaky movements.

" I guess I'll go next. First there is Oliver he is a bit of both a mage and a physical fighter. He can use Lightning magic and typically uses hard hits and fast strikes to wear down and end fights in a flash. His weapon of choice is a spear to keep his enemies at a distance so they can't touch him, and give him enough time to react to the opponent before they can counter attack. He'd be a real problem if he could actually take a hit or two. Anything that causes pain even if superficial can cause him to shut down. Then there is Luka, he is a Merman, and is decent at water and ice magic. Stay away from puddles, to avoid being locked in a cage of ice, but brute force and fire are pretty effective at escaping. Then there is Collen he is good with barrier, and earth magic. He focuses on being able to take hits, not that he is impervious, but he can definitely take a beating. Thankfully that's about all he's good for, he only wins by outlasting his opponents, his speed and attacks are honestly underwhelming, subpar at best. Then theirs my brother ... I can't help you with him. I hardly recognize the damn brat anymore." Anabelle couldn't mask the bitterness, and shakiness in her voice when mentioning her brother. I understand though because, that beatdown was certainly the most bloody violent engagements I have ever seen. Just thinking about it makes me feel nauseous.

"I-I guess I'm up last." Viola stated " Where to start. Well first I suppose I should tell you about Benjamin, he is really nice, but a bit slow. He can take hits well enough, but he really excels in physical attacks. He uses a hammer, and can be pretty scary when mad. He was the one who fought the wolf boy, in the first competition. Then there's Maia, she, is a bit odd. She is a summoner, but the things she can summon area all really creepy, and she doesn't have total control over them sometimes. As far as fighting goes, she uses a knife, and is proficient in close combat, but her minions are the real issue. They have this weird resistance against all kinds of magic, or all the kinds we tested. Penelope is also a problem, she uses water magic, and is know as the water demon. She is really good at controlling water for attacks. Then there is Rhyan he is proficient in dark magic. Rhyan is a shadow elf, so he can bend shadows in ways dark magic typically can't be used so be careful of that."

" So now that we know what were up against what should we do about it?" Korona asked the group.

" Seeing as most of the competition are attackers we could try and fortify our defenses. and prepare for any sieges from the other groups." Anabelle suggested

" That may work, but if others do that too, we won't be guaranteed a spot in the brackets. If no one comes to lay siege, we would have just wasted precious resources." I countered.

"Then what do you suggest miss, know-it-all? Attempting to fight head on the entire time is impractical. We don't know how long this will last, and fighting on empty is a one way street to getting defeated." Anabelle returned

" Why don't we do both?" Viola asked

" How so?" Korona voiced intrigued, Anabelle and I too held a similar sentiment

" W-well, we could start with the attacking part. We know there are a few teams that have people who are great at fortified defenses. If we attack fast enough, we may be able to get around those defenses. Then we can quickly fortify a defense while the others are held in fights, using Korona's fire, and my earth magic we should be able to create a fortress to help keep the others from attacking from behind, while Anabelle, you and Alice can move around the fortress as a team destroying anyone that comes within range. Korona and I will keep them at bay, you two send them packing." Viola had started getting excited as she verbalized her plan. It seemed talking had helped her form some of the points.

" That sounds reasonable, but that is assuming that the others don't try for a similar strategy, and that we aren't overrun too quickly while preparing." Anabelle said in thought " However no plan would be flawless unless we knew what the others were thinking. I say we go for it. If we strike fast and hard in the beginning we may be able to win two other crests guaranteeing our spot on top, after we focus completely on defense. Conserve strength, and wait out the rest of the competition."

" That sounds like a plan to me. Now we should probably -"

A man Popped out of nowhere and stood in the center of the arena the ten teams surrounding him, his words were as spontaneous as his appearance. "Time is up. The planning period for teams has been completed. You all will be transported to the Battlefield in five seconds. Five! Four! Ah, who has the time to count! Close your eyes and hold on tight this won't be the most pleasant feeling for you children."

Suddenly, I felt the ground leave my feet as I definitely didn't close my eyes. I watched as reality bent, and contorted to unnatural angles in front of my eyes burning them and my brain. My stomach flipped and twisted as my body started to act all funny. I could feel my tail in my arm and my calf in my neck; I felt like one of those toys with detachable limbs, and a horrid little kid put the body parts in the wrong place. Color started to bleed together shifting and melding until shapes became useless to try and depict and I could feel that I started to cry, similar to when you get too much sun in your eye's. After blinking a few times my surroundings became more clear. My body regained normal feeling a slight moment after that, aside from the slight queasiness.

We were in a bright forest, a bioluminescent forest of massive willows that barred out the sky and snaking roots that wove in, out and around the ground, creating a playground of twisted roots. It was a beautiful palette of the most bright and toxic glowing colors of nature. Faint glows of Neon blues, and pinks, leading to full bright oranges and yellows, contrasting some darker purples and reds, if you looked the brighter colors of the color spectrum could be found covering the ground or woven into trees contrasting the Darker bluish brown of the bark, and stems. Even the sky seemed to be filled with lights that seemed to pulsate in rhythm as if they were all connected and alive. The ground was covered with rainbow colored grasses corresponding with the nearby veins of colors etched into the breaching root systems, and the vast hoards of drooping branches from the willows, resembling delicate falling snow of wonderous colors. The forest was a little disorienting at first but, soon after it had become a wonderland of sorts.

A voice then echoed thorough the area, snapping me out of my awe. " Contestants, Audience, you all may be confused, so allow me to explain. This here is a place called the 'Magic Forest' it is a small forest in a dimensional pocket cultivated by the the royal scientists, in an attempt to better understand how mana can effect flora. This project had reached a dead end years ago, and the forest has since been left to it's own devices. Since we can now utilize magic to better show our favorite fighters, what better way to test it's limits than to change the battlefield completely, to bring a brand new and revolutionary feel to this competition! Now I want a nice Clean fight, and students I must remind you , that though this is a competition there will always be the chance of death so be cautious and I ask you prioritize safety over victory. And with that, I now announce the preliminary rounds, BEGIN!"

I looked around to see the faces of the others in my group they have a range of emotions expressed on there faces. Korona was looking at the surroundings with a look of amazement, while Viola seems to have stopped responding, water gathering in the corners of her eyes and dripping down her face. Anabelle, had a mixture of shock and irritation on her face.

"This place is marvelous." Korona said admiring the plants.

" I agree." I added taking in my surroundings one more time before I focused. " It looks like our plan probably isn't going to work."

I walked over to Viola and shook her out of her daze.

" Alice, stop." Viola muttered as her world started spinning again. The her eyes fluttered for a moment. "Wait, I'm alive!?"

" Did you keep your eyes open?" I asked

"Yeah." She said sheepishly